The Smile, Donna Jo Napoli
The Smile, Donna Jo Napoli
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The Smile

Author: Donna Jo Napoli

Narrator: Charlotte Miller

Unabridged: 8 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/26/2019

Synopsis

A lush historical fiction young adult romance that tells the tale of Mona Lisa in prose as rich as the high Renaissance.

“The historical detail and the romantic tragedy and redemption will prompt a closer inspection of Leonardo’s masterpiece.”—Publishers Weekly

Hers is the most famous portrait in the world.

A young woman named Elisabetta yearns for more in life but believes that her plain appearance will forever hold her back. But fate has other plans when she visits the enchanting city of Florence. She catches the eye of the great Leonardo da Vinci which propels her into a world of wealth and prestige. There, Elisabetta falls into a forbidden romance with Giuliano de Medici, at a time when it is highly dangerous to be involved with the powerful Medici family.

Set against the backdrop of the Renaissance and the alluring streets of Florence, Elisabetta faces the bittersweet truth of love as tragedy and chaos threaten the young couple’s happiness.

About The Author

Donna Jo Napoli is the author of Crazy Jack, The Magic Circle, Stones in Water, and many other books, and is the chairperson of the linguistics department at Swarthmore College.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Karen on November 24, 2008

This story is absolutely amazing. After starting and tossing aside so many dud YA novels lately, I was so excited when this story instantly drew me in--not because the story was instantly exciting, but because Elizabetta (Mona Lisa) is a compelling character. I was able to connect emotionally to the......more

Goodreads review by Eden on February 08, 2020

Elisabetta is naive. Elisabetta is selfish. Elisabetta is a hopeless romantic. Elisabetta is loving. Elisabetta is strong. Elisabetta is a complicated and well written character. I think that's why I connected so much to this book when I was in middle school. Along with Song of the Sparrow, I would r......more

Goodreads review by Elyse on December 01, 2018

I wanted this to be better than it was. But the narrator really made it difficult to like. She would say names with an Italian accent and say some Italian words, but otherwise it was a straight American accent. They really should have found someone with an Italian accent. It would've made the experi......more

Goodreads review by J on June 10, 2018

The last book that I had read by Donna Jo Napoli was a fairytale variation of Beauty & the Beast that I had enjoyed. So when I found this particular book in my own I decide to give it a test while was surprised to find that it was widely different from "Beast". Unlike the other book this was provid......more

Goodreads review by Kermit on July 05, 2009

So interesting. It's the story of Monna Elisabetta, a 13-year-old who lives outside of Florence with her noble-born parents. They regularly visit Florence because her father has a city-home there and also because they have relatives in Florence and her father has business concerns there. Elisabetta'......more

Quotes

“Napoli skillfully draws readers into the vibrant settings, from opulent Florentine palaces to rustic hillside villas, with tangible, sensory details that enliven the novel’s intriguing references to history and art.”—Booklist

“The historical detail and the romantic tragedy and redemption will prompt a closer inspection of Leonardo’s masterpiece.”—Publishers Weekly

“Through this deeply personal story, Napoli paints a magnificent and mournful portrait of the Italian Renaissance, both tragic and triumphant.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Napoli’s textured portrait illuminates a possible life for the woman behind that famous enigmatic smile.”—The Horn Book

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